Trump visits China: discussions on trade and Iran

US President Donald Trump will travel to China on Wednesday for a three-day state visit, Beijing confirmed on Monday.

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“At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, President of the United States of America Donald J. Trump will pay a state visit to China from May 13 to 15,” declared a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Donald Trump is expected to discuss trade and Iran with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and urge Beijing to use its influence to push Iran to reach a deal with Washington.

The US president has often praised his ties with his Chinese counterpart, describing the relationship between the two nations as positive.

“Relations with China, and my personal relations with President Xi, are extremely good, and we both recognize the importance of keeping them that way.”wrote Donald Trump in a message posted on social networks at the beginning of the year.

However, China and the United States remain at odds on several key issues, including customs tariffs and Beijing’s relationship with Iran (China is an important customer for Iranian oil) but also on Taiwan, which China claims as part of its territory.

Washington, however, has historically supported the existence of the Republic of China, the official name of the island. In 2022, Vice-President Nancy Pelosi made a stopover there during her tour of Asia, causing a breakdown in collaboration between Xi Jinping’s People’s Republic of China and the United States on several issues.

“This will be a visit of considerable symbolic importance”said the principal deputy press secretary of the United States, Anna Kelly, during a telephone call.

“But of course, President Trump never travels just for symbolism. The American people can expect the President to deliver more good deals on behalf of our country,” she added.

Donald Trump was scheduled to visit China at the end of March or the beginning of April, but his trip was postponed due to the war in Iran.

This visit will be the first by an American president in office in almost ten years, since Donald Trump visited China during his first term in November 2017.

The US president’s trip will include a welcome ceremony, a one-on-one meeting with Xi Jinping, followed by a visit to the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. On Thursday evening, Trump will attend a state banquet and on Friday he will have a working lunch with Xi before leaving, the White House confirmed.